Duxbury’s Other Residents

Graveyard in Duxbury

For every old town with historic buildings there are stories of ghosts and lore, Duxbury being no different. It is not just little kids telling stories about otherworldly experiences they have had, but teenagers and adults alike.

From the outside, the buildings and houses of Duxbury look like any other, nothing secretive about them. One could walk right past or even enter them without knowing that there have been stories about hauntings and activity of the paranormal nature.

One of the infamous places that have been known to be haunted in Duxbury is the Sun Tavern restaurant. According to suntavernrestaurant.com, this building was said to be haunted by the ghost of an old owner named Lysander Walker, who was known for being Duxbury’s hermit. One night it was said he took his own life and since then there has been paranormal activity caused by who they believe is his spirit. “Each night when the restaurant was being closed down and every candle extinguished on the tables, just one would be relit as David Wells (the next owner after Lysander), the last to leave, was about to walk out the back door.” Another story from when Wells was still the owner was that late one night the building’s alarm went off and the police arrived to investigate. They checked the entire building and found nothing. When they closed the door and started to leave, each officer heard the sound of footsteps coming from the restaurant. They pulled out their guns and entered the house, but did not find anyone. To this day, people are still experiencing paranormal activity there. Senior Gabriella D. said that her mom used to work at the Sun Tavern as a waitress when she was in high school. The storage room in the basement used to freak her out the most because of its dark and unwelcoming vibe. Gabriella said, “my mom said that the women’s room was very uncomfortable because sometimes the sinks would just turn on randomly and the stall doors would just slam shut all on their own and at random, there was never any wind.”

Some Duxbury residents have had to live with hauntings and spirits. Junior Kiley S. said, “my house was pretty modern and was all renovated… one day I was getting out of the shower and a ghost like “walked” behind me and I saw it in the mirror. My house was on Washington Street so obviously it’s a pretty old part of town.”

Another haunted place is said to be the Plymouth Light or Gurnet Light. According to hauntedplaces.org, “Built in 1769, the structure is thought to be haunted by the first female light keeper, Hannah Thomas, who took over after her husband John was killed in the Revolutionary War. Tales tell of a photographer who spent the night here and saw an apparition of the upper half of a woman in period clothing with long dark hair, believed to be Hannah.”